Never before has the esoteric significance of the "Novel of the Century" been explained. At last its profound symbolism is made clear in light of the Hermetic tradition, establishing The Lord of the Rings as the work of an illuminated imagination. Alchemy in Middle-earth traces J.R.R. Tolkien's motifs to unexpected connections with Scotland, the Middle East, and legendary Atlantis, unveiling the ancient wisdom in Tolkien's great work not only with the Alchemy of the past, but also with the living mystical alchemy of Sufism. In the process, the mysterious relationship between the spirituality of Islam and Tolkien's Christianity is revealed, signifying nothing less than the completion of the Grail quest at the end of an age.

Mahmoud Shelton studied at the University of Edinburgh before taking a degree in Medieval Studies at Stanford University. He has travelled in search of Hermeticism's legacy from the Western Mediterranean to the Far East. Shelton has
numerous magazine articles to his credit, and was a contributor to The Royal Book of Spiritual Chivalry.[2]